Doki Doki Literature Club: The Aftermath

by the guy in your attic

(Spoilers) The nightmare was over. Monika was gone and the game was reset. However, her many changes to the files remained. Sayori's crippling depression. Natsuki's malnourishment. Yuri's building obsession. It was all still there. Though now that the cause of it was gone, Aaron figured that nothing more than a little time was enough to give his friends the peace they deserved.

13. Anxiety

"Hey, Dad! I'm home!" Natsuki announced as she walked through her front door, returning home from an exhausting school day, a small yet tired smile on her face as she hung her backpack on the wall hook near the door, her happy to be home. Happy to be away from School, the club, all of it, Natsuki able to commit the rest of her day towards relaxation. "Where are you?" She asked as she looked around the living room, barely able to see due to how dark it was, the thick, gray fog outside blocking the sun, preventing any light from shining in through the windows, causing the entire house to take on a dark gray tint.

"I'm in the dining room. Dinner's ready!" Natsuki's father announced, the sound of his voice echoing through the hallway, Natsuki smiling brightly as she heard that.

"About time! I'm starving!" She stated as she eagerly dashed through the hallway, able to smell the delicious scent of the food all the way from the living room, her stomach growling fiercely as she finally made her way to the dining room, seeing a literal feast laid out for her. More than enough for a whole crowd of people to eat. Platters upon platters of meats, poultry, vegetables, pasta. If it was edible, it was there on the table, waiting to be eaten.

"There's my little princess" Natsuki's father smiled happily as he came into the dining room, looking down at his daughter with pure love in his eyes. A look Natsuki had almost never seen before. It was an odd… but welcome sight. He looked so… happy. So happy to see her. So happy to have his daughter home, safe and sound. "Well, aren't you going to eat? I slaved away on all this food just for you, Sweetie! Eat up!" He said with a smile as he pulled out a chair for his daughter, Natsuki sitting down and watching as her father filled her plate with as much food as possible, Natsuki's mouth watering, salivating as he kept adding more and more before laying it down in front of her.

"Thank you!" Natsuki said in appreciation, her father's smile only seeming to grown as he heard that. "Are you going to sit down too?" She asked.

"Oh, I will. But… you should be the one to eat first. I made this for you, after all. Don't worry about me. You go ahead and eat"

"Oh. Okay then" Natsuki said as she picked up her fork and knife, carving into the various foods on her plate, beginning to stuff her face, eating like a starved animal as her father stood behind her, looking down as she ate, still smiling.

"Hungry little thing, aren't you? You must have worked yourself so hard today. I can understand why you'd have such an appetite" Her father stated. "And do you like the food?" He asked.

"Mhm! It's delicious!" Natsuki stated, talking with her mouth full, her quickly swallowing everything down before stuffing her face again, her plate not even close to empty as she continued eating, practically devouring the food.

It wasn't until her third helping that she suddenly gagged, her unable to swallow her food as she felt something… wiggling. Something small and slimy, Natsuki quickly spitting out the food in disgust, looking at the chewed mash, only to see a small maggot wiggle its way out, Natsuki holding back the urge to vomit as her eyes widened in shock, her looking back at her plate to find it full of maggots! Them coming out of the large steak she had been eating from and spreading all over her plate! She backed away from the table in disgust and shock as she found more of the repulsive larvae coming out of the rest of the food, the entire table covered in them!

"Oh god…" Natsuki gasped in shock, only to then feel the bile begin to rise in her throat, her trying as hard as possible to force it down. To prevent herself from vomiting, even though she knew her food had been infested with larvae.

"Aww… what's the matter? You don't like it?" Her father asked as he put his hand on Natsuki's shoulder, her gasping as she turned around to look at him, an angered, outright murderous glare on his face as he looked down at her. "Is something wrong with the food?" He asked, his tone low yet deep. Intimidating and threatening. "I certainly hope not, given all the work I've put into making it. I slaved away all day to make you this gigantic feast! But… here you are, walking away from it and even trying to prevent yourself from vomiting it up? Is it disgusting to you? Am I disgusting?"

"Wha… What?! No! You're not! You're… you're my dad. I-I love you…"

"You love me, huh? You love me?! If you love me so much, why didn't you stop your little friend from killing me?!" He screamed in a furious rage, his daughter gasping in shock, recoiling from the volume in his voice.

"I… I couldn't… I was scared! You were going to kill her! There was nothing I could do, okay?!" Natsuki shouted back at her father, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "I didn't want you to die! You were a horrible, awful person but… I didn't want that… I just… Things got out of hand" She said, sniffling slightly as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Things got out of hand? Things got out of hand?! I got fucking murdered!" Her father screamed even louder as he grabbed Natsuki by the collar of her shirt, forcefully pulling her towards him."You just stood there and let her murder me! Me, your own father! The man who raised you! Who fed you! Who loved you! I was murdered and you didn't do anything to stop it! You did nothing! Nothing at all! You just hid yourself away and waited until it was all over!"

"I'm sorry!" Natsuki began weeping uncontrollably, the guilt of knowing that she could have prevented all of this eating away at her. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" She begged pathetically, the tears pouring from her eyes like waterfalls as her father's murderous glare only seemed to grown sharper, not even the sight of his crying daughter able to soften it.

"Oh, my sweet princess… of course I can forgive you" He said, his tone low yet still angered. Still enraged, Natsuki looking up at him, a shocked expression on her face. Almost relieved. "I can… but I won't. The way I see it? It's your fault I'm dead. You could have stopped her. Could have prevented all of this. And maybe if you did, you and I could have started treating each other better"

"I really am sorry…"

"I know you are, sweetheart. I know you are. Don't worry though. We can still work on fixing that father-daughter bond we used to share. Even though I'm dead, you and I can still be together… when I send you to hell, which is where filthy murderers like you belong!" Her father screamed loudly as he slammed Natsuki to the floor, grabbing a steak knife from the maggot ridden table before forcing his weight on his daughter, Natsuki pinned down as her father loomed the knife over her, attempting to stab her just as he had been stabbed.

"No!" Natsuki shouted as she quickly grabber her father's wrists, trying as hard as possible to force the knife away. To force him off of her, his superior strength quickly overpowering her. "Please! Don't do this!" Natsuki begged, watching in horror as the knife slowly drew closer to her chest, her unable to pull it away, her father soon breaking his wrists out of Natsuki's hold, quickly acting on his freedom by stabbing his daughter in the chest, her screaming in pain as the blood began gushing out, her father quickly pulling the knife out, holding it above her with the intent to stab once more.

"No…" She begged be. "Please… don't kill me…"

"This is what you deserve, you disrespectful, ungrateful, murdering bitch!"

"No! Please!"

---

"DON'T HURT ME!" Natsuki screamed loudly as she jolted up from the couch, cold sweat running down her forehead as she breathed frantically, her scrambling as she looked around, finding herself to be sleeping in someone's living room, the light from the sun gleaming in through the opened windows, fresh, outside air blowing calmly into the room. "Where… where am… Oh" Natsuki said with a sigh, remembering where she was. Aaron's house. His living room.

Yuri dumped her here after what happened with her father. Well… dumped wasn't the right word to use. She just left her here for safekeeping. Left her in a place she deemed to be safe, her confident in Aaron's ability to watch over and protect Natsuki. She sighed again. She wished she shared Yuri's confidence.

While Natsuki and Aaron did have much fun last night, that didn't change the fact that Natsuki had felt so uncomfortable in his home. It wasn't as if it were bad or anything. It's just… unfamiliar. Alien. New. It's a place Natsuki has never been in or seen before till now. That in of itself is bound to unnerve her, the fact that she just jumped out of the bed… erm… couch after suffering a horrible nightmare only made it worse.

Don't get her wrong though. She had no complaints when it came to the place. In fact, she was actually surprised at how clean and rather lovely Aaron's house was, the obvious lack of a woman's touch notwithstanding. Still though, impressive for a boy who, for a majority of his life, lived alone.

"Oh. Hey! You're awake!" Aaron stated happily as he came in through the front door of the house, dressed in his school uniform, apparently returning from somewhere, him clutching a small paper bag in his left hand. "Good morning. You feeling alright?" He asked. Morning. Okay, so he wasn't coming back from school. In fact, school probably hasn't started yet.

"I umm… Yeah. I'm… I'm fine" Natsuki said with a sigh as she moved into a sitting position on the couch, A small frown on Aaron's face as he saw that, Natsuki obviously still bothered by what had happened, Aaron not blaming her now that he knew the truth. Hell, even he's having trouble coming to terms with it.

Natsuki's father… dead. Killed in self defense by Yuri, her hands stained with the blood of a fellow human being. Aaron was honestly more bothered by it than he should have been, especially since the matter didn't even involve him.

"I um… I got us breakfast" He stated as he held the small paper bag forward, Natsuki turning her head to look at him. "I um… I'm not the best cook and it's rude to make the guest cook their own food, so I ran out real quick and picked us up something. I got it from the diner down the block. You know, the one where I bought all that soup for you?"

"Breakfast?" Natsuki asked, an inquisitive look on her face as her head tilted slightly to the side, her ears slightly perked, Aaron smiling at that. Of course food would cheer her up. "What kinda breakfast?" She asked.

"Oh, you know. Something quick and filling. Enough to get us through the school day… at least until lunch time. Here" Aaron said as he placed the bag down on the coffee table, opening it to pull out the food, it wrapped tightly in an aluminum foil, warm to the touch and smelling like… bacon and eggs? With cheese?

That's what they were. Aaron brought back bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches! The bread toasted to a delicious golden brown! Natsuki eagerly taking hers after Aaron brought them out. Normally, after unwrapping it, she'd start to scarf it down. But um… after experiencing such a horrific nightmare, she quickly gave the food a once over. Just to be safe.

"Something wrong?" Aaron asked before taking a bite of his own sandwich.

"Nothing. Just… checking. It's fine. I'm eating it right now, see?" Natsuki asked before taking a bite herself, chewing slowly as she savored the taste. Savored the taste of the amazingly prepared bacon on top of the scrambled egg. The cheese complementing it greatly. "Mmm… It's good!" She said with a smile. "Thanks"

"That's great! I uh… I talked to Yuri last night. After you went to sleep. She… she told me what happened. What really happened. I'm sorry, Natsuki"

"Don't be…" Natsuki said, her tone immediately lowering, a gloomy, slightly angered look coming to her face. "Save your condolences for good people. People who you should actually feel sorry for. Not for… not for whoever my dad was" She scoffed.

"I know you probably feel a lot of resentment, Natsuki. And I don't blame you for that. After what you went through… I'd feel the same if it were me, but I don't think that's the right way to go about it" Aaron stated, a slightly nervous look on his face, him not entirely sure how to go about making his point. "What I mean to say is… you should try to focus on the happier times you had with him, if you actually did have any. That's… I think that's the best way to remember him"

"I don't want to remember him, Aaron" Natsuki said with a frown. "I know. I know. He was still my father. He gave me life. But was that ever an excuse for the way he treated me? Did that ever really make it seem okay?" She asked, looking up at Aaron.

"No" He said immediately. "No. It doesn't. Still though… I dunno. We all morn in our own ways, I guess. Just… if you need anything, I'm here for you" He stated firmly.

"I'd say the same thing to you, especially since you know… about Yuri"

"It was self defense and nothing more. She had no choice" Aaron responded immediately, his sentence already planned out and ready, as if he had to make such a statement as fast as possible. "Your father was going to kill her, Natsuki. What else could she have done?" He asked, his tone hinting at offense, Natsuki quickly raising her hands to calm Aaron down.

"I know! I know! I just… maybe something different could have happened. Maybe… I don't know" Natsuki sighed, her head hanging down low. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I… I think I should just get ready for school"

"The shower's upstairs. First door on the left"

"Thank you" Natsuki said as she stood up from the couch, picking up her backpack filled with clothes and walking up the stairs to the shower.

---

Yuri shivered nervously as she walked through the school halls, her pace swift as she heard the sounds of her fellow schoolmates, all of them talking and shouting along with the ringing of the final bell, the long and arduous school day finally coming to a close, Yuri quickening her pace, nearly starting to run as she approached her locker, her books held against her chest tightly as she walked up to it, nervousness and anxiousness obvious on her face, as if she just wanted to put her books away and go home.

"There you are!" Yuri jumped in fright at the sound of Aaron's voice, him sneaking up on her from behind, Yuri turning around to look at him, the small smile on his face easing her slightly. Even made her blush a little bit.

She liked that smile. Loved it, actually.

Loved the look of happiness and contentment in it, as if all were right with the world. As if the smile's owner was burdened by no troubles. No worries. No concerns. What Yuri would give to be able to smile like that. To allow her face to gleam and beam so brightly. So happily.

Maybe that's why she liked seeing it on Aaron. Because she envied it. Envied his ability to smile like that. To be so carefree and relaxed, especially in such a stressful environment such as this. A cramped, claustrophobic, busy, noisy school hall.

"He-Hello, Love" Yuri greeted nervously, a hitch in her voice as her eyes looked down at Aaron's feet, as if Yuri couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. To face him. Truth was, she actually couldn't. Not after last night. Not after what happened.

It's… it's obvious. All you had to do was look at her face to see it. To see the shame so blatant on it. To see the disgust. To see the hurt. To see the regret.

"Hey. Are… are you okay? What's wrong?" Aaron asked in concern as he took a step closer to Yuri, closing the distance between the two, his arms extended out to grab her. Hug her. Hold her. Whatever she needed. Yuri however, rejected his advance. Her hands in the way, preventing him from getting closer. "Yuri?" He asked in confusion, not understanding why his advance had been rejected.

"I… I'm sorry, Love. I'm just not feeling well today. I'm… I'm not in the mood" She sighed, her eyes still avoiding his. Still remaining downcast towards the floor.

"Is it because of… the thing?" Aaron assumed, Yuri silent as she lowered her head even more than it already was. A clear display of the shame she felt. "Look… that kinda thing… it's not your fault" Aaron said, trying his best to comfort Yuri. "You were going to die if you didn't do anything. Your body just reacted to your life being threatened. It… it happens, Yuri. But you're the innocent in all this" He stated as fact, Yuri sighing again before finally raising her head, her eyes now looking straight at Aaron's.

"It's not that…" She said. "It's um… It… I… You see…" She had trouble saying it, Aaron looking at her oddly, confusion obvious on his face as he tried to understand what Yuri was trying to say. "I… Come here. Follow me" She said before grabbing him by the wrist suddenly, checking the hall before moving into the janitor's closet, throwing Aaron and herself in before locking the door, them now locked in a dingy, dusty, dirty closet, the dim light of a single bulb dangling above their heads, barely illuminating the closet.

"I thought you didn't like the janitor's closet" Aaron smirked suggestively, Yuri scoffing at his immature remark.

"Love, please. Now is not the time for… that. I… something happened. Something other than Natsuki's father" Yuri said, her tone worrisome. Fearful. Scared, as if even thinking of talking about it terrified her, which in a way, it did.

"What's the problem?" Aaron asked, concern on his face as he saw the distressed look on Yuri's. Saw the fear and worry. Read her face like it were an open book. In all honesty, it kinda made him feel bad for joking about the closet. Seemed insensitive. Just… wasn't the right time for it. "Please, tell me what's wrong" He said as he looked at Yuri, seeing her look down at the floor and off to her side, her left hand clutching her right wrist, her slowly picking up her head, bringing her eyes to meet his.

"Please don't be angry with me" She begged, her tone low and meek. "I'm so sorry, Love. I'm so very sorry. I… I failed you. I've let you down" She said as she rolled up her sleeve, showing Aaron the bandage that wrapped around her whole forearm, from elbow to wrist.

This one was new. Clean, as if it were just put on. And by the look of it, not applied in the same way Aaron applied his before. Which meant…

"Yuri… No…" Aaron sighed, watching Yuri's head sink in shame as she heard the disappointment in his voice, Aaron swearing her heard her sob quietly too.

"I'm so sorry… I… I lost my nerve. I lost control. I just… What happened to Natsuki's father threw me over the edge. Drove me crazy. I heard voices in my head, Aaron! Voices that sounded nothing like my own! I… I had to do it. I needed to do it"

"No! You didn't!" Aaron said as he gently grabbed Yuri by her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "You didn't need to do that. We… We were making good progress, Yuri. We were doing so well. But… it's as you said. You lost control" Aaron sighed again as he released Yuri, her looking away from him in shame, unable to face him for any longer. "I'm not… I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad. And… I know I sound disappointed, but I'm not. This… this was bound to come back eventually. It takes more than a hookup and a few kisses on the cheek to stop this"

"My sister saw me" Yuri revealed, Aaron's eyes rising in shock. "She… she caught me doing it. Couldn't stop me, but she tried. I'm… I've been scheduled see a therapist" She revealed, Aaron's eyes rising even more, a small smile soon coming onto his face, as if he were relieved

"Wait… really?" He asked. "That's… that's great, Yuri! That's really great! Now you can actually get the help you need! You can finally work this out with a professional! Real progress can be made!" He stated happily, relief in his voice, Yuri simply sighing as she shook her head before turning her back to him, her arms crossing as Aaron's smile began to fade away. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern in his tone, Yuri simply remaining silent. "You're… You don't want that though, do you? I know you want to get better. You don't like doing this to yourself. Well… this is how you get better, Yuri. This is the only way to get better" He stated firmly, Yuri turning her head to him, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm… I'm scared, Love" She admitted. "I don't want to sit there and be judged by some stranger. Some person I don't know. Someone who doesn't understand me. Someone who's… who's job it is to just poke and prod around in my head until something happens. I…" She struggled to continue her sentence. "I know this is probably the only way to fix… everything. But I'm not ready. I'm not ready to take this step. I don't want to do this. I'm being forced"

"You seemed to be ready when I wanted you to be" Aaron stated, Yuri's eyes rising slightly. "You were happy about it, actually. Really happy"

"That's… that's different. Very, very different" Yuri said as she turned around, facing Aaron. "Back then, you were my club mate. You were a friend. And now… you're my lover. I can trust you. I can confide in you. I know you only want what is best for me. But… a complete stranger who makes money off of people like me? I don't have the same confidence" She said as she looked away from Aaron, her head sinking, downcast towards the floor.

"Hey. It's gonna be alright" Aaron said as he gently grabbed Yuri by the chin, lifting her head back up to look at him. "This is a good thing. You are going to come out of this better. Stronger. You just… need to jump a few extra hoops. But it is worth it. Besides, I'm still here for you" He added as he pulled her into a hug, Yuri immediately wrapping her arms around him as she was pulled into his chest, her finding safety and security in it. In his embrace. "I love you. I only want to see you get better. I know you want the same thing. Please try. For me?"

"I… I'm still very scared, Aaron" Yuri said meekly.

"I am too. Scared about… a lot of stuff. But knowing that you're getting help. Knowing that you'll be okay… it'll take some of the fear away from me, at least" Aaron stated, Yuri sighing as she heard that. "Please. Please, just try"

"I… I guess I don't have much of a choice either way. But I will try… for you, Love" Yuri stated after pulling away, hearing Aaron sigh in relief.

"That's all I ask" He smiled. "So um… You wanna open the door and let me out?" He asked, Yuri's ears perking slightly as she heard that, realizing she had locked herself and Aaron in the janitor's closet.

"Hm? Oh. I apologize. Come on, let's get out of here" She said as she unlocked the door, peeking her head out to look around the hall, not wanting anyone to see her and Aaron leaving the closet together.

Oh, the scandal that would have created, Aaron and Yuri seen together in such a place, the social butterflies and gossipers of the school having a field day, were that the case.

"Where are you going? Club's this way, remember?" Aaron stated as he pointed to the opposite end of the hall, Yuri's train of thought destroyed as she turned to look at him.

"Oh… um… I won't be going to the club today. My sister made the appointment. I'm due immediately after school. She's even coming to pick me up. Make sure I don't run and hide" Yuri stated with a sigh. "She should be in front of the school right now"

"Oh… Do you want me to walk you over there?" Aaron asked, Yuri looking at him oddly. "It might make you feel better. Might help you go through it easier" He stated, Yuri pondering the thought in her head for a few seconds.

"Okay" She decided, allowing Aaron to at least walk her out of the school. "Remember though, my sister doesn't know we're together. I'm… I'm not ready to tell her, especially after all that's happened"

"Does that mean no hand holding?"

"Sadly, yes"

"Aww…" Aaron groaned in disappointment, a sour look on his face as he crossed his arms, only to hear Yuri giggle slightly. "What? What's so funny?" He asked, the sour look replaced with a slight scowl

"Nothing" Yuri said, a small smile on her face as she continued to giggle. "I think it's cute when you get all huffy. Anyways, come on" She said as she led him through the halls, Aaron following closely as they both made their way out, exiting thought the front doors of the school, walking together towards the parking lot, Yuri easily spotting her sister's car, Aaron able to see her sitting in the drivers seat.

Wow. Just… wow. Yuri's sister. She… she looked just like Yuri in every single way, except… well, older. More mature and aged. Finely aged, now that Aaron got a good look. Her face very well chiseled and sculpted. Sultry. Seductive. Yuri was a pretty girl in every right, but this was a step above her. This was a beautiful woman. Powerful looking too, to boot.

And to think that in a few years time, Yuri would soon mimic her older sister's appearance… Wow…

"He-hello, Sister" Yuri greeted respectfully as she walked up to the car, a slight look of embarrassment and awkwardness on her face, but after last night, it would be expected if Yuri had trouble looking at her sister properly. "I'm sorry I'm-"

"There you are!" Yuri's sister shouted, a sigh of relief leaving her as she immediately exited the car, walking up and hugging her sister tightly, Aaron looking on at the embrace with a smile, him happy to see such a sight. Happy to see that Yuri was cared for by her family. He didn't expect anything less, honestly. But it was nice to get confirmation that she was treated well. "You had me worried there for a second! I was just about to come looking for you! And uh… who is this?" Yuri's sister asked, looking over to Aaron, a slightly suspicious and cautious look on her face, as if she were judging him.

"Oh. I forgot. Yuna, this is one of the members of my club. Aaron" Yuri introduced. "Aaron, this is my older sister by five years. Yuna"

"A pleasure to meet you!" Yuna greeted warmly, her suspicious, judgmental look instantly vanishing upon being introduced to Aaron, a much more friendly, inviting smile taking it's place, it looking much like a smile you'd see Sayori wearing. "Yuri tells me so much about your little club, but I don't she ever told me about you" Yuna stated. "You and her are… good friends?" She asked, an eyebrow raising as a rather mischievous look appeared on her face.

"Um… We-well. We're… umm" Aaron stammered nervously, struggling to speak under the gaze of Yuri's older sister, her mischievous grin unnerving him.

"Sister, please. I know what you're thinking. No, it's not like that. He's a friend of mine and a fellow club member. Nothing more, okay?" Yuri stated, Aaron finding it odd that she, of all people, was the one keeping her cool in all this. Aaron expected the opposite, with her freaking out and getting nervous while he kept his cool.

"Oh calm down. I'm only playing around. Shame though. I can see you two becoming a couple" Yuna chuckled.

"Sister!"

"Alright. Alright. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your friend" Yuna apologized. "Well, it's time for us to go. We have that… thing you need to get to. Remember?" She asked as she looked at her younger sister, Yuri seeming to shrink as she looked down at the ground.

"I really don't want to…" She said lowly. Quietly. Aaron able to hear the fear in her voice, him sighing at that, wishing he could help her somehow. But sadly, his hands were tied. This was… this was something Yuri would have to do on her own. A battle she'd have to fight alone. Without Aaron… for now, at least.

"I know, Honey. I know" Yuna said understandably as she gently gripped her sister's shoulder, rubbing it gently, as if trying to soothe Yuri. "But it has to be done. This is the only way things are going to get better. And they will get better. I promise"

"Let's just get this over with" She said with a sigh as she pushed her sister's hand away, Yuri opening the passenger door and getting into the car, Yuna sighing as she shook her head slightly, only to perk it back up before looking over to Aaron, him still standing there, watching them.

"It was very nice meeting you, but we have something very important to attend to. Goodbye!" Yuna waved as she got back into her car, Aaron watching as it drove out of the parking lot and onto the open road, him smiling slightly as he returned back to the school, making his way to the literature club.

---

"They're late" Sayori growled in irritation as she paced back and forth through the literature club, Natsuki sitting at her desk, watching the president as she paced aimlessly, an angered, irritated look on her face as the sounds of her heavy footsteps echoed through the room.

"Uhh… Are you okay?" Natsuki asked, Sayori stopping in her tracks, her head turning to look at her fellow member, Natsuki able to see Sayori's face. There was a scowl on it. A glare geared towards Natsuki, no doubt. She couldn't tell you why though. Couldn't find any reason as to why Sayori looked so… angry. Natsuki knew for a fact that she hadn't done anything to raise the ire of the club president. Or at the very least, nothing that would infuriate her. Make her slightly annoyed, at most. And even then, Sayori wasn't the type of person to get angry or hold grudges, even over big things.

She's always been a very forgiving, optimistic and kind person… or at least she used to be.

She used to be the sweetest girl Natsuki had ever met. Too sweet, honestly. So much so that looking at her would be enough to rot your teeth. But ever since Natsuki and Sayori caught Aaron and Yuri making out… she's been taking it really hard. So hard, that it's began to affect her behavior. It's… soured her. Turned her bitter. Hateful. Violent even.

You saw what happened in the bathroom that one time. The time where Natsuki found Yuri crying. At the time, Natsuki thought it was her actions that made Yuri cry like that. But looking back on it… The events that led up to and followed it… She was able to put two and two together.

She didn't want to outright accuse Sayori of hurting her, even though Natsuki could see the pain on Yuri's face. She didn't know if that hurt came from physical pain or emotional. No matter which it was, it was wrong, of course. Natsuki and Yuri fight every once and awhile, yes. But she'd never dream of actually trying to hurt Yuri, be it emotionally or physically.

Natsuki knows her limits and knows when to pull back before she says or does something actually hurtful… well… sometimes.

There may have been this one instance where… Natsuki may have accused Yuri of stuffing her shirt soon after Aaron joined the club. That… that was insensitive. Rude and honestly, immature and juvenile of Natsuki. She learned her lesson from that and knows better now.

But Sayori? If Natsuki's suspicions were true, and they usually are, then what she's done is already unforgivable, at least in Natsuki's eyes.

And all because of what? Because she's suddenly jealous of Yuri? Jealous of what? Her having a boyfriend? Okay? So? Every girl needs to get one at least once, someone as sensitive as Yuri especially. That girl would have probably broke down by now, were it not for Aaron.

Was it because of who she's chosen as her boyfriend? Aaron?

Was Sayori jealous because she didn't have a chance to be with Aaron, despite literally knowing him since childhood? Honey, you could have jumped on that at age five! Why wait till now? Or maybe… maybe Sayori didn't know she wanted that from Aaron until she couldn't get it anymore…

Natsuki scoffed as she thought of that, waving off whatever sympathy she felt for Sayori with it. I mean, sucks that Sayori couldn't have the relationship she wanted with Aaron but… is this the right way to deal with it? By bullying and abusing the girl he chose over her? Can't she just be content in knowing that he's happy? That he's loved?

If it was some random girl off the streets, Natsuki would understand. But… it's not a random girl. it's Yuri. A person Natsuki and Sayori knew for a long while. A good, kindhearted person. A trustworthy person. A friend.

In Natsuki's mind, Sayori was just coming off as petty. Petty, bitter and angry. And from here, her actions have only seemed to get worst, even after Aaron's attempts to fix things, which he's been trying to do a lot, according to Yuri.

If anything, it's only made Sayori worse. Made her angrier. More hateful. More bitter.

At first, it was only small, passive aggressive insults. A sarcastic jab or two. Okay, mean but harmless. Then it turned into actual intimidation and then, like the flick of a switch, abuse, Natsuki knowing that part all too well herself.

She sighed as she played with one of her bangs, it still covering the black eye she got from her father. The swelling went down, finally. But the bruise mark is still there. It's still black and blue, Natsuki resorting to using her hair to hide it, covering her left eye entirely.

Honestly, the two aren't any different now. Natsuki's father and Sayori. They're both doing the same shit. Hurting people they used to care about.

"I'm fine" Sayori stated, answering Natsuki's question, her scowl still on her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Natsuki asked, Sayori's scowl quickly disappearing, her face returning to normal immediately, almost as if it did so in panic. Changed back in order to try and hide the expression it wore in the first place, Natsuki genuinely weirded out by this behavior.

"What are you talking about? Am I looking at you funny? I don't think I am" Sayori stated, her tone lightening as well, her almost sounding like her normal self. Well… almost. There was a catch in her voice. A pause. A moment of hesitation, as if she needed to gather her thoughts and rehearse her sentence mentally before speaking, Sayori also looking off to the side as she spoke, avoiding eye contact with Natsuki.

"You were glaring at me. You had a scowl on your face" Natsuki stated, her tone growing confrontational.

"Oh. Did I? I'm sorry. I guess I'm just… a little stressed. Tired. Cranky, maybe. It's been a long school day. You understand, right?" Sayori asked, Natsuki crossing her arms as she heard the president's justification.

'Really? That's your reason? You're stressed, huh?' Her body language conveyed, Sayori starting to appear visually unnerved and discomforted by Natsuki's own scowl, her simply turning her back to Natsuki and walking off to the teachers desk, her now digging around through a small stack of paper.

"I mean, the past few days have been pretty stressful for all of us. You and me especially" Sayori continued, disregarding the look Natsuki gave her.

"What do you mean by that?" Natsuki asked, her arms still crossed as she watched Sayori shuffle and organize the papers stacked upon the teachers desk. Blank sheets. Literally blank pieces of paper, Sayori most likely rooting through them in an attempt to look busy. Maybe she tried to distract herself somehow. Take her mind off something. Natsuki didn't know what that may have been though.

"Oh. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to assume. I just… Well, you look a little down, buddy! A little gloomy. Sad. Maybe depressed too. Everything okay?" Sayori asked, her tone filled with an artificial concern as she turned from the desk, looking back at Natsuki. "I mean, what with the whole Aaron-Yuri drama going on, I can't help but feel like you and your problems are being neglected" Sayori stated, Natsuki tensing up slightly as Sayori took a few steps forward, coming closer to Natsuki's desk, ending up directly in front of it, Sayori already having closed the distance before Natuski could move, the two now face to face, Sayori smiling brightly, practically beaming. "As president of the literature club, it's my job to make sure my club members are happy and taken care of. You're not happy and you're not being taken care of, aren't you?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" Natsuki scoffed as she crossed her arms, huffing as she turned her head away. "I'm fine!" She denied, Sayori clicking her tongue as she shook her head.

"Come on. I'm your friend, Natsuki. You can tell me anything. I'll understand completely. What's wrong? Is everything at home okay? Family treating you alright? And what's with the weird hairstyle? You trying something new?" Sayori asked as she raised her hand, slowly bringing it to Natsuki's face in an attempt to sweep her bang back behind her ear. "I liked your old style better, honesl-"

"Don't touch my hair!" Natsuki slapped Sayori's hand away.

"Ouch!" Sayori glared as she pulled her hand back, using her other to stroke over the skin Natsuki struck, it slightly tinged red. "Rude…" Sayori growled. "I was only trying to help" She stated as she walked away from Natsuki.

"I… I'm sorry. I just… I'm not feeling very good today. A lot's happened. P-please forgive me. I… I didn't mean it" Natsuki stated, her tone guilt ridden, feeling awful for having even the thought of striking Sayori.

She couldn't help it though. The way Sayori was just leaning on her desk, her back against the chair as Sayori towered over her… It was very imposing. Claustrophobic too. And all those questions she threw at her. All of them being things Natsuki didn't even want to think of, let alone talk about. It all made Natsuki feel like she couldn't breath. She… She had to do something. Something to get Sayori to back off. Something to create some space. Give her some room to breathe.

"I really didn't mean to-"

"Just… Natsuki, go back to reading your manga" Sayori commanded, her hand waving Natsuki away dismissively, causing Natsuki's head to sink down, her looking at the floor with a truly hurt expression on her face.

"Yes, President. I'm sorry, President" She sighed as she did as told, moving to the supply closet to pull out a different issue of her manga, returning to her desk immediately after, reading silently.

"Hey, guys. I'm here!" Aaron announced as he entered the club room, a rather satisfied and content look on his face, him being the only person in the room feeling any sort of positive emotion.

"Hi, Aaron!" Sayori greeted happily, her tone painfully shrill and cheerful to an obnoxious degree, smiling brightly again as Aaron came into the room. "Took you a while to get here, didn't it? Where've you been, Silly? And… Where's Yuri?" Sayori asked, a fake look of concern on her face as she looked behind Aaron, hoping to find her hiding behind him.

"Oh. She's um… She had to go home early. She's busy" Aaron stated, being intentionally vague as to what busy meant, him thinking it for the best if Sayori and Natsuki didn't know what was going on, Aaron thinking this to be especially true in Sayori's case, her most likely still holding a grudge against the girl.

"Busy? Busy with what?" Sayori asked, Aaron able to hear Natsuki scoff at Sayori's display of fake concern, as if she actually had either of them fooled.

"She didn't tell me. She just said that she was busy and that she couldn't come to the club. Then her sister came and picked her up" Aaron lied, him staring Sayori right in the eyes, trying his best to keep contact in an attempt to make Sayori believe he was telling the truth.

"Aww… That's a shame. I hope everything's okay though" Sayori stated as she walked away, Aaron sighing quietly in relief, Sayori believing his lie, or at least that's what it looked like. "You know, I was going to start handing out the assignments but… since the Vice president isn't here today, I guess we can put the work on hold. We can just hang out and take a break for awhile!" Sayori announced happily.

"Yeah. That's uhh… That's great, Sayori!" Aaron said in reluctant agreement, him looking around the room to find Natsuki sitting at the desk in the rightmost corner, closest to the supply closet, her eyes going back and forth rapidly as she read from her manga. "You alright?" Aaron asked as he walked up to her, Natsuki turning her attention onto him as he approached the desk, a small yet somewhat sad smile slowly creeping onto Natsuki's face, it being her way of silently letting Aaron know that for the most part, she was fine and that he shouldn't worry too much about her.

"Don't worry about her, Aaron. She's just in one of her moods again" Sayori stated as she approached him from behind, her hand stealthily creeping up and grabbing his shoulder, Aaron jumping slightly in surprise at that, an odd, cold shiver suddenly running down his spine the moment Sayori touched him. "You know how she acts when she gets all huffy and angry. I'd just ignore her if I were you" She urged, Natsuki scoffing audibly at that as she buried her face back into her manga, continuing her reading. "You see what I'm talking about?" Sayori asked, using Natsuki's behavior to prove her point. "Best to just leave her alone. Why don't you come hang out with me instead?!" She continued as she gripped Aaron by the wrist, rather forcefully dragging him away from Natsuki, all the way to the front of the club room, near the teachers desk.

"So umm… You didn't come to school yesterday" Aaron stated bluntly, Sayori's perking slightly as she turned around, a questioning look on her face.

"Oh? Yeah. I uh… I wasn't feeling too good that day" Sayori said dismissively as she turned her back to Aaron. "From what I heard, Natsuki didn't come to school either"

"I can still hear you from over there!" She shouted from her corner of the room, Sayori simply ignoring her, as if she weren't real.

"Well… with Natsuki, it was different" Aaron said. "But you? Well… you're lazy, Sayori. But missing school isn't like you at all. Me and Yuri… we were kinda worried something happened"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine!" Sayori smiled brightly. "I just wasn't feeling very well yesterday. It was a… It wasn't a very good day for me and I felt like I needed a break" She stated simply.

"Wait. You mean you weren't sick or anything? You just… decided not to come to school? You can't do that, Sayori!" Aaron said, scolding her for such recklessness, him genuinely unnerved by her statement. He wasn't lying when he said Sayori was a lazy person. And to be honest, she does a lot of stupid things. But willingly skipping school? That's not one of them.

"What does it matter? I mean, it's not like anybody actually teaches anything here, right? The only thing that happens when we come here, is that we all sit around in the club room and do nothing! I didn't miss anything important!" She said rather cheerfully, making light of the situation, Aaron somewhat weirded out by her response.

"What are you talking about? We do more than just sit in the club room all day. We… We have classes!" Aaron stated.

"Really?" Sayori asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Can you remember what your last class was? Can you remember what you learned today?"

"Of course I can! My last class was… uhh… It was… What I learned today was…" He struggled to remember, Aaron suddenly grunting in pain, feeling a short yet sharp headache overwhelm him as he tried to remember.

"Ohh. Having a bit of trouble, are we?" Sayori asked, her tone somewhat patronizing. Belittling. "It's okay if you can't remember. I can't either" She giggled. "I'm sure it wasn't important anyway" She stated, the school bell soon ringing loudly, signaling that all club activities were over. "Time to go home already? That was fast" Sayori stated as she started packing her things.

"But… we just got here" Aaron said, confused as to how so much time could have passed so quickly. It had only been a couple of minutes. Half an hour at most!

"I know, right? And now the school day's over! Amazing how fast time flies when you're with your friends! Anyways, come on. Pack up your things and let's go home. We can all walk back together!" Sayori said happily as she gathered her things, Aaron looking at her oddly as he heard her hum a soft, merry tune.

---

"Now, can you tell me a little bit about the more… social aspect of your life? I know you're very close with your family, but what about other people? Do you have any friends?"

"I have friends. Yes" Yuri stated bluntly as she sat on a brown, leather couch, her back upright and her posture perfect as she stared the therapist in the eyes, an almost confrontational glare on Yuri's face. Hostile even, as if she were trying to display a form of strength, maybe even dominance to this therapist. This doctor. This man she had only just met.

This man she had only just met…

She was supposed to tell everything about herself to this man she had only just met. She was supposed to make herself an open book for him. Let him come in and read through her thoughts. Her feelings. Her mind like paragraphs on paper. Let him examine her like art on a wall. Let him see all her secrets. All her emotions. All her feelings. Her wants. Her dreams. Her desires. Her… her fears. Her anxieties. Her… Well, you know.

Now, don't get Yuri wrong. She's sure that the man didn't harbor ill intent. Of course he didn't. In fact, psychiatric evaluations are quite common among all sorts of people. It's perfectly normal and healthy to have these things and they offer a great boon to society. It's just… Yuri wasn't comfortable with the idea of her needing such a thing.

She wasn't comfortable with the idea of this man knowing her. Knowing who she was. How she thought. How she acted. Honestly, she wasn't comfortable with anyone knowing any of these things, be they stranger or friend.

She wasn't even comfortable with Aaron, her own lover knowing about things like this at first, her gradually warming up and trusting in him as time went on. Confiding in him only after she was sure he could be confided in.

Yuri was the kind of girl who had… difficulties confiding in others, if that wasn't obvious enough. Everyone knew that to be true, even those not affiliated with the club. Though she was a very sweet and kind girl, she was also very reserved and private. Kept to herself most, if not all the time. And in all honesty, she always preferred it that way. Always preferred to just be left alone. Left to herself. Left in peace.

It was and still somewhat is very hard to earn her trust and even harder to keep it. Look back to when Yuri first joined the literature club for proof of that. She didn't even speak back then! Didn't even talk to her club mates!

It took a whole two weeks of being in the club before she started actually talking. And when Aaron joined soon after, Yuri went silent again for awhile, her overcome with anxiety and nervousness about having a boy as her club mate, it being obvious that she didn't have the best experience when it came to interacting with the opposite sex.

Well… that was back then. Now though, at least she could talk to Aaron without blushing and hiding her face in nervousness all the time… for the most part.

"Listen to me, Ms.-"

"Yuri" She cut the therapist off, rather rudely too. "I prefer to be called by my first name" She stated, the therapist sighing as he sat back in his long, tall leather chair, his pen and a notepad by his side, him writing something down in it the moment Yuri corrected him.

"Yuri…" He started. "I know you're very nervous and probably a little scared, but I just want to let you know that you have nothing to fear from me. My job is to help you get better and I'm going to try my best to do that job. But I don't want you feeling as if I see you as nothing more than just work to be done. You are a person who needs help. I am a person who wants to help you. I would strongly suggest that you not fight with me. I'm your friend here" He stated, his tone calm and his posture relaxed and laid back, whereas Yuri's was starting to become ridged and uncomfortable. "Would you like to lay down?" The therapist asked.

"N-no, thank you" Yuri said, declining the therapist's suggestion.

"Very well" He sighed, Yuri detecting a bit of annoyance in his voice. "Maybe we should just start over" He said before writing something down in his notepad again, most likely noting Yuri's behavior. "Let's just get the elephant in the room out of the way first… Your sister found you trying to kill yourself last night. You took a shard of glass from a broken mirror and slit your wrists, to the point where you screamed in pain. Your sister tried to stop you, but you kept going. Why did you do that, Yuri?" He asked, the heaviness in his question making it difficult for Yuri to answer, let alone even think of an answer, her herself not knowing why she did what she did.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself" She stated. "I was… I…" She struggled to explain.

"I understand. I've… dealt with that before. It's okay" The therapist said understandingly as he wrote down in his notepad again, Yuri now starting to get unnerved by the sound of the pen against the paper. "So, you cut yourself?" He asked bluntly, Yuri recoiling slightly after hearing it blurted out so… casually. So carelessly, as if this doctor was dismissive of it. Didn't understand the severity. Or… maybe he did, but he's dealt with it so many times before, that he's just used to stating it so blatantly. Yuri didn't know. "Can you give me an exact answer as to why you do this?"

"Not… not really. It's been happening for so long that I've… honestly forgotten my original reason. As to why I do it now, I… I have trouble controlling the way I act around certain people. I get… nervous. Anxious"

"And doing this to yourself is how you regain control? How you keep yourself in line?"

"I suppose so" Yuri said, her arms crossing as she looked away from the therapist, her eyes focused on the floor.

"And what happens if you get too nervous? Too anxious?"

"I… I'm not comfortable with talking about that"

"I see…" The therapist sighed in annoyance once more, him obviously getting frustrated at Yuri's lack of transparency and cooperation. "Let's just go back to what happened last night. You were very… brutal towards yourself back there. You tore your arm to shreds. Is it still hurting?"

"Yes" Yuri sighed as her left hand began stroking her right forearm gently. "I could barely use it today. I had to do practically everything with the other one"

"You've said before that you've been harming yourself for a long time. But last night, you weren't just cutting yourself. You were… you were mutilating yourself. What happened? What caused you to just snap like that?"

"I… I don't know" Yuri started, nervousness and worry obvious in her voice. "I just… It had been so long and… and I was going through so much. Too much was happening at the same time. I was overwhelmed and… I just needed something to take my mind off it all. I needed a second to sit down and compose myself" She started shivering in worry.

"What was going through your mind? What were you thinking of? What made you so stressed, overwhelmed and anxious, to the point where you absolutely needed release?" The therapist pressed further. "Please, tell me"

"I… I can't. It's not that I don't want to. I just can't"

"Why can't you?"

"Because I can't! You… You just don't understand" Yuri said as she shook her head.

"Then help me understand. We need to get to the bottom of this, Yuri. But we can't if you keep secrets from me. I guarantee that whatever you say will never leave this office. I swear"

"I… No! I'm not taking that chance!"

"Why not? Does it involve something illegal? Have you committed a crime, Yuri?"

"N-No! No, I haven't!"

"Then why are you so reluctant to tell me? You want to talk about it. I know you do. You can tell me"

"No, I can't! I don't want to!"

"Yuri…"

"Please no!"

"We're not going to get anywhere unless you start opening up"

"I SAID NO!" Yuri shouted angrily, a sharp glare on her face after shouting directly at the therapist, the room going silent as soon as she screamed, him just sitting there, staring at her, a very annoyed and aggravated look on his face. A small timer on a table at the side of his chair then began ringing loudly.

"It looks like we're out of time for today" He said with a sigh. "A shame too. We were making such good progress" He quipped, Yuri scoffing audibly as she sat up from his couch. "I'd like you to come in for a few more sessions. Daily visits would be recommended. We've only scratched the surface of your problem, but with more work and… cooperation, We'll get to the bottom of it. I assure you" The therapist smiled smugly.

"I never want to see you ever again!" Yuri said bitterly, angrily as she made her way to the door.

"You can talk with the lady at the front desk about scheduling additional sessions. I look forward to speaking with you again, Yuri. It was a pleasure to meet you"

"Arrogant prick" Yuri cursed silently as she exited the office, now standing in the main hall, her older sister, Yuna, walking up to her and pulling her into a small hug, her having waited patiently outside the door for Yuri.

"Finally. You've been in there for hours. So? How'd it go?" She asked in concern, Yuri simply shaking her head. "Yuri…" Disappointment could be heard in her older sister's voice.

"I'm sorry, Sister. I tried. I really did, but… I never want to go through that again" Yuri stated with a sigh, her eyes downcast towards the ground.

"Hey. I know this must be hard for you…" Yuna said as she gently grabbed Yuri by the chin, slowly lifting her sister's head up to look at her, the two staring eye to eye at each other. "But this is what's needed in order to fix what's wrong with you. Don't you want to get better?" She asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Just… not this way"

"Well I'm sorry, sweetie. But there is no other way" Yuna stated, Yuri brushing her sister's hand away from her as she walked toward the exit, Yuna following closely. "I know you're still uncomfortable about all of this. But I swear, there's no reason to feel this way. This place, these people, they all have one purpose. And that purpose is to help you get better. But… how are they going to do that if you won't let them?"

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Yuri requested, her tone suddenly becoming hushed. Somber. Saddened, so much so that Yuna recoiled slightly when she heard it. "I'm just… I'm just very tired. I want to go home" She added, a small frown on her face.

"I… Of course. Come on then. Let's get you home. I'll make dinner and then you can just rest and relax for the rest of the day" Yuna sighed as she and Yuri exited the building, walking to their car and beginning to make their way home.

---

Aaron sighed anxiously as he walked home, an uneasy, dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach as Natsuki followed from behind, Sayori in front of both of them, leading the way as she talked incessantly. Rambled and ranted. Chattered on and on about god knows what. Whatever it was, it obviously didn't hold either Aaron's or Natsuki's attention, Sayori continuing to speak, herself being the only person that was able to comprehend what she was actually saying.

Aaron and Natsuki tried their best to follow along with her ramblings initially, the both of them eventually tuning it out as they became lost in thoughts of their own.

Natsuki still felt guilty for hurting Sayori earlier, even though a part of her was still angered over having her personal space violated like that. She didn't say much on the walk back home. Barely spoke, actually. She just kept her head down. Kept herself silent while Sayori kept on talking. As for Aaron, he had become overwhelmed with worry and concern as he thought about Yuri, him hoping that she was taking her visit to the therapist well.

She probably wasn't.

He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help but feel worried for her. Worried if she was okay. If she was safe. Couldn't help but think about her. Think about her condition and how it just… skyrocketed out of proportions, to the point where legitimate harm was being inflicted upon her because of it.

He wished he could do something more to help her now, him not content to sit back and play spectator while his girlfriend, his lover, needed to be around people she was comfortable with. People she trusted. People she loved.

Natsuki… Aaron was worried about her too. She had been very quiet today. Very reserved and in all honesty, kind of timid. In a way, she was acting almost exactly as Yuri did.

He wondered if Natsuki was taking the death of her father too hard, to the point where her behavior was being negatively affected. He wondered if she had been traumatized, actually. Scarred mentally. Abusive parent or not, seeing a family member die right in front of you… Aaron wasn't a psychologist, but he was sure it wasn't helpful for her mental state.

"Hey um…" Aaron stopped walking, him looking over his shoulder to see Natsuki behind him, her looking back at him. "You're okay, right?" He asked, just wanting to check on her.

"Uhh… Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine" She responded reluctantly, her voice incredibly soft and quiet. A near whisper. "I'm just tired" She stated.

"Yeah. Me too"

"So… why is Natsuki coming to your house and not hers?" Sayori chimed in suddenly, Aaron and Natsuki jumping in shock when they heard her voice, their heads turning quickly to face her, the both of them silent for a second before Aaron began to speak.

"She uhh… You see, she's… I can't…" Yet he struggled to come up with a rational explanation.

"I… I can't go home" Natsuki stated, Sayori gasping slightly at that, genuinely shocked. "I… I ran away. My father doesn't… didn't care about me. So I ran away. I'm staying with Aaron until I figure out what to do" She admitted, The look on Sayori's face softening slightly, content with Natsuki's answer while also being concerned for her.

"Oh, you poor thing" Sayori said with a sigh. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't like talking about it" Natsuki said as she walked ahead, passing by both Aaron and Sayori. "Can we just go home, please?" She asked, Aaron and Sayori resuming their walk home, this time with Natsuki at the front, leading the way back.

They soon arrived at Aaron's house, him walking up to the front door and unlocking it, moving aside for Natsuki to enter first.

"Can I come in too?" Sayori asked, a small smile on her face as she looked at Aaron, her head slightly tilted to the side, no doubt in an attempt to make herself appear cutesy and innocent, as she had done before. "I know you're probably busy and everything but… I just don't want to go back to an empty house. I don't wanna be alone again. Please? Just for a little while?" She asked, Aaron sighing as he looked into Sayori's eyes, him already feeling the guilt begin to eat at him, regardless of the fact that he hasn't turned her away yet, this all going just as Sayori planned, of course.

She may have genuinely felt lonely and in need of comfort, but that didn't change the fact that Sayori was tricky. Clever. Good at manipulation. And even though Aaron was aware of this. Aware of her little tricks and plans… that didn't stop him from falling prey to them. Maybe once or twice he could see through them and resist her. Put his foot down and tell her no. But for the most part, Aaron was putty in Sayori's hands. Always was, even back when they were little.

Now, even given the circumstances, wasn't any different. Especially when she wears that sad yet sweet smile.

"Sure" He said as he kept the door open for her, Sayori beaming brightly soon after, happy that Aaron would allow her to stay with him.

"Yay!" She cheered happily as she entered the house, Aaron simply sighing again as he rolled his eyes, him soon entering the house himself, shutting the door on his way in. "This is gonna be so much fun! What should we do first? Watch movies? Play video games?" She asked excitedly.

"Um… What's she still doing here?" Natsuki asked as she laid down on the couch, it fitted with a set of bed sheets, pillows and a blanket. This being where she'd sleep for as long as she stayed with Aaron. On his couch.

"It's okay. Aaron said I could stay here for just a little while" Sayori stated with a smile. "That's not a problem, is it? I won't be too much of a bother, I promise"

"I… Sure. It's fine. Not my house anyway" Natsuki said, her waving her hand dismissively at Sayori before digging into her backpack, pulling out a manga she brought from her stash in the club room and beginning to read from it.

"Aww, come on! Don't be like that! We'll have fun, I swear!" Sayori assured, her smile unwavering, even when faced with Natsuki's less than enthused attitude. "Or… do you want to be left alone for awhile? Because if you do, Aaron and I can just hang out in his room and you can-"

"No! No, I… I'm fine. Sure. We can all do something. I don't mind" Natsuki said suddenly, agreeing with Sayori's suggestion. She didn't let her finish that sentence. Maybe… Maybe it wasn't Natsuki's business, but she wasn't comfortable with the idea of Aaron and Sayori being together. Alone. In his bedroom.

I mean, he's Yuri's boyfriend. Everyone knew that at this point, especially Sayori. Don't get Natsuki wrong though, she trusted Aaron to behave himself. But she didn't trust Sayori at all. For all she knew, Sayori was just going to pounce on him the moment the door was shut. Maybe even force him too. So for Aaron and Yuri's sake, Natsuki would endure Sayori in order to make sure she behaved herself, Natsuki looking past her to see Aaron sigh in relief, him most likely thinking the same way Natsuki did.

"You really don't mind? That's great! So what do we do first? I say we watch a movie! It can be anything, really! I'm up for whatever!" Sayori stated as she sat down next to Natsuki on the couch, snatching the television remote away and beginning to surf through the channels, hoping to find something decent to watch. "Aaron, pop some popcorn!" She commanded, him sighing as he walked into the kitchen, only for him to stop when he heard a knock coming from his front door, him turning around to answer it.

"Hello, Love" Yuri greeted softly after Aaron opened the door, a small, sweet smile on her face as she looked at him, almost as if she were relieved to see him. As if whatever worries or troubles she had been facing vanished the moment she looked at him. "I apologize for coming over uninvited. Do you… mind if I come in?" She asked politely.

"I uhh… Well…" Aaron struggled to answer, stuttering slightly before taking a second to prepare a proper response "I don't really think that's a good idea because-"

"Who's at the door, Aaron?" Sayori asked as she appeared behind him, Aaron jumping in shock as he turned to face her, startled by the sudden sound of her voice. "Oh look! Yuri's come to pay us a visit! Natsuki, Yuri's here!" Sayori shouted over her shoulder, trying to involve Natsuki in the conversation, her thankfully ignoring Sayori as she continued to lay on the couch, trying to enjoy her manga as much as possible in the short time she had left to read it.

"He-Hello, Sayori…" Yuri greeted, her tone slightly nervous, Sayori simply smiling as she waved hello. "You didn't tell me you were having guests over, Aaron" Yuri stated as she turned to Aaron, seeing the awkward, uncomfortable look on his face, as if he didn't even want to be here himself. Didn't even want to be in his own home.

Yuri could relate, as she currently felt the same about her own home as well, hence why she was here instead of being there.

It was just… There was a tension in the air there. An unsettling aura gripped her home, so unsettling that she didn't even want to be in it anymore. And the worst part was, she knew that it came from her. From her actions. From the way her family reacted to her.

"Sorry" Aaron apologized.

"What's there to be sorry about? This is a good thing! Now that Yuri's here, we can all hang out again like we used to! It'll be so much fun!" Sayori chimed happily, acting oblivious. An act that both Aaron and Yuri saw through. She knew Yuri was still bothered by her presence, apology notwithstanding. She knew she still made Yuri very uncomfortable, Sayori most likely acting oblivious and friendly in an attempt to further unnerve her. "Oh? What's that you got there, Yuri?" She questioned as she eyed a small bag in Yuri's hands, a small bit of clothing able to be seen within.

"Th-This?! Nothing! Nothing! It's just… clothes" She stated nervously.

"Clothes? Why would you bring clothes to Aaron's house?" Sayori asked. "Unless… you were planning on staying over for the night?" She grinned mischievously, Yuri's cheeks turning a shade red as her head sank slightly. "Oooh! And were we planning on doing anything special tonight?" She teased, further embarrassing Yuri.

"Come on. Leave her alone" Aaron scolded, Sayori simply smiling as she shrugged.

"Relax. I'm only having a little fun. I didn't mean anything by it" She giggled, Yuri picking her head up slightly to look at her, still heavily embarrassed. Almost feeling somewhat shamed, honestly.

"Maybe I should just go back home…"

"No! Don't do that! You came all the way over here! You might as well stay! We were actually gonna watch a movie. You can come in and watch with us!" Sayori urged. "In fact, you just gave me a great idea! I'm gonna stay here for the night too! That way, you, me, Natsuki and Aaron can all have a sleepover! isn't that fun?!"

"A sleepover? What are you? Eleven?" Natsuki spat in irritation, Sayori simply brushing her little comment off.

"Don't listen to her. It'll be fun! Plus, this will give us time to patch things up, since I know you and I still aren't on the greatest of terms" She stated, her head soon sinking down slightly, a somewhat saddened look on her face. "It'd… it'd be nice to spend time with you again. Please?" Sayori asked, her tone sounding as if she were almost begging, Yuri sighing as she looked into Sayori's eyes, part of her knowing fully well that Sayori was simply putting on an act. Still…

"I d-don't really think that's a good idea. It's already late enough and tonight is a school night, So…"

"So… why are you here then?" Sayori asked, Yuri opening her mouth to speak, yet no words would came to her, leaving her unable to create a proper, believable excuse.

"Alright. I'll… I'll spend the night" She said with a sigh.

"Yay!" Sayori cheered again before grabbing Yuri by the wrist, practically pulling her inside, whether out of excitement and eagerness or by force, Yuri and Aaron didn't know. "This'll be so much fun. Here! You can even get first pick of what we'll watch! Aaron! Popcorn! Now, please!"

"I thought this was supposed to be my house…" Aaron sighed as he shook his head, him still walking back into the kitchen nonetheless, preparing the popcorn for the others. "I hope she was telling the truth when she said she wanted to patch things" He gulped in nervousness.

A good few hours had passed as Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri and Aaron all sat together on the same couch, their eyes all glued to the television as their movie played. There was a smile of excitement on Sayori's face, her on the edge of her seat, getting deeply invested in the movie's plot. Natsuki was starting to yawn loudly, her beginning to fall asleep, whether from fatigue or boredom, she didn't know.

As for Yuri and Aaron, they sat next to each other, Yuri resting herself against Aaron, her head on his shoulder, nuzzled slightly in his neck, the two cuddling as they watched the movie together.

Aaron thought it was the cutest thing ever. Her and him sitting together on the couch, watching a movie. Neither of them saying anything to each other. Barely speaking. Just living in the moment. Just enjoying each other's presence. Enjoying the closeness of one another.

Were it not for certain onlookers, this would be a perfect night for Aaron. His idea of the perfect date. Just him and his girlfriend relaxing in peace together, drowning out the world as they watched television.

This wasn't to imply that Sayori was disrupting or preventing them from having such an experience though. In fact, Aaron was surprised at how quiet she was. More importantly, how accepting she was towards Yuri and Aaron's intimacy and closeness, her most likely not even noticing that they were cuddling.

Eventually, both Sayori and Natsuki fell asleep on the couch, the movie not even close to reaching the end before they began drifting off, Aaron and Yuri being the only two remaining awake.

"It seems your house guests are fast asleep" Yuri observed, her voice in a soft, gentle whisper.

"Seems so" Aaron replied, him whispering as well.

"I hope Natsuki isn't being too much of a bother for you. She isn't, is she?" Yuri asked as she looked to her side, only to find Natsuki fast asleep, snoring slightly.

"No. She's fine. I don't think she likes it here though. It just… I dunno. Maybe she's just not comfortable"

"I see" Yuri sighed as she looked away, her attention turning back to Aaron. "I haven't talked to my sister about taking her in yet. Today… today was not a good day…"

"I know it wasn't, but it's over now. Tomorrow's a new day. A better day" Aaron stated before leaning down, placing a gentle kiss on Yuri's forehead, the corners of her mouth rising slightly, forming a small smile as she looked at him.

"I do hope so" She said. "Has Sayori been this clingy all day?" She asked.

"You say that like it's something new. You know that's just how she acts" Aaron stated, slightly dismissive of Sayori's behavior. "I mean… It got kinda tense in the club room today. But other than that, she's been acting pretty normal. Just regular Sayori"

"That's… That's good to know"

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked in concern.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine Love. I'm… feeling a lot better, especially now that we're together" She stated, her small smile growing slightly, rising as Aaron noticed her blush. Noticed her cheeks turn a shade red. "It's uh… It's getting rather late. It's a school night tonight. Do you maybe want to… go to bed?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"Go to bed with you?" Aaron asked with a grin, Yuri red with embarrassment as she saw that, her giggling slightly. "Sure" Aaron smiled, Yuri doing the same as she stood up from the couch, bending down to grab her bag of clothing.

"You go on ahead, Love. I'll be there shortly" She stated. "I just need to… get ready" She grinned slightly, Aaron chuckling as he sat up, the two making their way upstairs, yet separating as soon as they reached the second floor, Aaron going to his room and Yuri going into the bathroom to prepare herself for bed.

She started by removing her clothes, stripping off piece after piece, article after article of clothing one by one before opening the bag she'd brought with her, pulling out the small light blue nightgown she'd previously worn. The one that Aaron liked seeing her in. The one he said she looked beautiful in.

She sighed when she looked at herself in the mirror though, seeing the way the nightgown clung to her body. Fit to her form. It being a little small, due to the fact that Yuri had outgrown it somewhat, mainly in the chest area.

She sighed again, deeper this time as she raised her right arm, inspecting it, looking over the bandages that heavily wrapped it, them taking up almost the entire length. She gave her bandages a quick once over. A small check to make sure everything was fine.

They were stained slightly, hints of crimson having bled through them, due to the severity of Yuri's wounds. How much blood she must have lost during that… even thinking about it made her shiver in discomfort.

She pushed her arm away. Turned her head to the other side and refused to look at it. No, she wasn't going to focus on this. Wasn't going to trouble herself with what had happened. More importantly, she wasn't going to bother Aaron with it either. Tonight was… Tonight was going to be her night to relax. To unwind. To calm down. To feel good.

To be with her lover.

That was all she wanted. All she needed. All she wanted to focus on. Him. Being with him. Being with the person she loved. The person who loved her back. The person who understood her. The person who would listen to her. The person who accepted her, flaws and all. Accepted her for all the good and bad she was, yet never judged or scolded her for being such, even though it may have been deserved.

"Okay… I'm ready" She said as she looked herself in the mirror, her soon turning her attention back to her bag, digging in once more to find a small bottle of pills, her opening it and taking one, swallowing it down.

Better safe than sorry, of course.

After doing so, she nodded in determination, Yuri slowly opening the bathroom door, peeking her head out into the pitch black hallway to make sure it was clear. After making sure that it was safe, she exited the bathroom and began making her way to Aaron's bedroom.

She opened the door slowly, peeking her head into the room before fully entering, able to see Aaron sitting down at his desk, looking over a notebook, him unaware of Yuri's presence. A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she slowly approached the desk, her footsteps near silent, incredibly quiet as she snuck behind Aaron.

"Surprise!" She said loudly as she put her hands on Aaron's shoulders, him jumping slightly in shock at the sudden touch, as well as the volume in her voice, Yuri giggling as she saw this. "Aww. Did I frighten you, Love?" She asked as she began to gently rub Aaron's shoulders, caressing them rather tenderly. Sweetly. Very caring and gentle as well, as if Aaron were made of fine china, Yuri being careful not to damage him in any way.

"A little, yeah" Aaron chuckled as he stood up from his desk chair, turning around to face Yuri, the two exchanging a small kiss, Yuri soon pulling away after. "You brought your nightgown" Aaron noticed. "I thought you didn't like wearing it because… you know… it shows your arms"

"I don't like wearing it, true. But… I made an exception for you. I know you like seeing me in it" She said as she looked down at her feet, an embarrassed smile on her face as she blushed slightly.

True, she did heavily dislike wearing her nightgown, mainly due to it lacking sleeves, leaving her arms, and by extension, bandages and wounds exposed. Still though, when Aaron told her that he thought she looked beautiful in it, she'd been wanting to wear it more. Thought of sleeping in it again. Thought of… showing herself to him while wearing it, whether because she desired more of his approval, his attention, or because his words genuinely renewed her confidence in showing her body off, she didn't know.

Either way, she was here. In her nightgown. And by the look on Aaron's face, that small yet sly, suggestive grin, he liked what he saw, Yuri's cheeks growing a shade redder as a result.

"You really do look beautiful, you know" Aaron said as he came closer to her, him practically whispering in Yuri's ear, sending shivers down her spine as he did so.

"Th-Thank you…" She replied nervously, only to soon shake her head suddenly, trying to snap herself out of the state she was in. "I… I'm sorry. I should be used to this by now. The little back and forth we have. But here I am, blushing like it's my first time again" She apologized, Aaron chuckling at that, her looking back at him in confusion.

"Yuri, we've only ever done it the one time" He stated.

"I… I know that. I just… I feel like I should be more comfortable about it now. More… at ease, I suppose. But a part of me is still a little anxious, I guess" Yuri stated, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"Well to be fair, the first time wasn't exactly easy for either of us" Aaron stated simply. "You were having a literal panic attack" He laughed.

"Yes. I was" Yuri giggled. "And then I pressured you into doing something you weren't ready for. S-Sorry about that again" She stated, Aaron simply smiling at her as he shook his head, pulling her in close to kiss her again.

"It's all in the past, okay? Let's just focus on now. You and me" He said after pulling away, Yuri blushing again.

"O-Okay…"

"It's okay if you're still a little nervous. In all honesty, I am too" Aaron revealed. "I kinda like you when you're all nervous and flustered though. It's really cute" He stated, Yuri shivering as she felt a chill up her spine, remembering the effect that word had on her.

"I forgot that happens when you call me that" Yuri stated

"Yeah. It's really cute when you do it though" Aaron grinned, Yuri moaning slightly as she shivered again. "So uh… Are you uhm… ready?" He asked nervously, himself feeling rather anxious as well. After all, this was only his and her second time. And not to mention… Sayori and Natsuki are downstairs.

"Ye-Yes. I am ready, Love. I've been waiting for this" Yuri stated.

"Oh really? Why?" Aaron asked.

"I… I don't really want to talk about it. Today was just… very stressful" Yuri said, her looking away from him, off to the side as a frown came to her face.

"I take it the appointment with the therapist didn't go so well?" Aaron assumed, Yuri sighing as she turned her head to face him.

"Please… let's not talk about it. I don't want to. I… I want this moment to be about us. You and me. Not about all our drama and problems. I want to forget all about what's happened today. What's been happening for the past week. I just… I want to let go. Relax. And I want to do that with you" She said as she looked Aaron in the eyes, him finding himself unable to look away from those beautiful orchid orbs. Those windows into the soul.

"Alright" He said. "You don't wanna talk about it. That's fine. Let's just… Let's just focus on us"

"Thank you" Yuri said, her soon making her way to the back of the room, where Aaron's bed was, laying down in the center of it, her arms supporting her weight as she lifted herself up, her chest taking prominence over the rest of her body, Aaron able to see her breasts bulging from within the tight confines of her nightgown, Yuri moving one of her arms towards Aaron, her index finger beckoned him to the bed. "Come here, Love. Come be with me" She requested softly, gently, her voice no louder than a hushed whisper, Aaron gulping, swallowing down any inhibitions and nervousness he had before slowly making his way to the bed, him pulling his shirt off as he did so, it falling to the floor, at the foot of his bed as he climbed in, holding himself directly on top of Yuri, her practically sinking into Aaron's mattress, it molding perfectly to fit her form. "Kiss me…" She requested, it sounding almost like a plea. Like begging, her wanting, needing him to kiss her. To embrace her. To hold her closely and intimately.

"A little needy tonight, aren't we?" Aaron grinned as he stood over her, her groaning lightly at him in response, him simply smiling as he rolled his eyes before lowering himself on her, their lips puckering before meeting once more, Yuri moaning softly as she and Aaron kissed, her wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him further down towards her, to the point where he was laying on top of her, Yuri and Aaron's lips remaining in contact, locked together as Aaron placed his hands on her shoulders, sliding the straps of her nightgown down, all the while Yuri's hands made their way to Aaron's pants, sliding them off slowly, the both of them now naked before each other, their clothing stripped away. "Are you ready?" Aaron asked as he looked down to her, Yuri nodding slowly. "We'll have to be quiet though. Don't wanna wake the others up, do we?"

"N-No. No, we don't" Yuri said, her breathing uneasy, shaky, nervous as she laid under Aaron, able to see his throbbing erection, it still being as beautiful a sight as it was when she first saw it. "I'll be quiet. I swear" She said, Aaron breathing deeply, preparing himself for a second before slowly lowering himself again, Yuri squealing slightly as she was penetrated, her quickly covering her mouth with her hands in an attempt to silence herself, her trying her hardest to prevent herself from voicing her pleasure as Aaron began rocking himself up and down, him being intentionally slow, teasingly so as Yuri tried her hardest to remain silent, an occasional mew, whimper or light groan escaping on accident.

She found it difficult to keep this up though as Aaron slowly but surely increased his speed, the intensity of their intimacy being too much to bare as Yuri felt herself getting closer to her climax, Aaron not far behind himself, yet all that escaped him were a few raspy breathes, whereas Yuri was practically biting down her lip and covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, her eventually unable to take it anymore, freeing her mouth before quickly picking up her head, pulling out the pillow from under her and screaming into it as she felt an orgasm rock her, Aaron soon coming with her, his raspy breathing steadily increasing in volume, yet still much more silent compared to Yuri, her removing the pillow from her face after Aaron pulled out, the both of them sighing and breathing heavily in exhaustion as Aaron fell to the side of the bed, pulling the covers over both himself and Yuri, watching as she slowly came down from her orgasm. Came down from the surge of pleasure that rocked her body, her eventually settling as she turned to her side, facing Aaron.

"Oh… Oh, Love. I… That was… I needed that" She stated, her breathing in and out deeply, practically gasping for air. "Thank you. Thank you so much" She said happily as she pulled herself into Aaron, kissing him gently on the lips as she nuzzled herself into his neck, him smiling softly as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"No need to thank me. I enjoyed it too. Definitely felt better the second time around. A lot less… sudden, I guess" He said, sighing contently as he held Yuri in his arms, the both of them enjoying their afterglow. Enjoying the closeness they shared. The space. The warmth of their bodies. Just enjoying being together. "Hey umm… I know you probably don't want to even think about it, let alone hear me bring it up but… I am glad that you made yourself see that therapist today, even if you probably regret going there. I… Not a lot of people have the courage to seek help. Even if you didn't want it, the fact that you still went either way… I'm proud of you. I hope you know that" Aaron stated with a smile before kissing Yuri gently on her forehead, her only responding by nuzzling herself deeper into him, gripping him tighter and pulling herself closer. "I love you. I really do" Aaron added.

"I love you too" Yuri replied tiredly, sounding utterly exhausted as the two laid down in bed together, the both of them soon falling asleep.

---

"Aww. How cute…" Sayori scoffed silently as she slowly backed away from Aaron's door, having watched the whole thing by slowly opening it to a crack, allowing Sayori to peek in and watch, the both of them too focused on their night of passion and pleasure to even notice she was there. Even after they were done, their senses were probably so numbed and overwhelmed by their intimate exchange, that they still didn't notice her, Sayori of course not actively trying to get caught, keeping herself as silent as possible until they were both fast asleep.

She grinned as she turned her back to the door and walked away, making her way back downstairs and laying down on the couch in a relaxed position, shutting her eyes as she focused on going back to sleep.

Normally, she'd be angry, shocked, outraged and offended at what she just saw. She'd be lit aflame and screaming as loud as her vocal cords would allow her… but she wasn't and she won't ever again. She's past all that now. Really, she is. There are… bigger things to worry about. Things that are more important. Things that take precedent over some silly, small, insignificant relationship between two people, one of which isn't even a real person.

Yes. Wasn't a real person.

Sayori knew the truth now. Understood it all perfectly after she woke up. After she remembered everything. Remembered her second life. The life before the reset. The one that got purged, leaving Sayori robbed of her experiences from before, her previously none the wiser to their existence and the important truth within them.

This world… This place she inhabits… lives in… It's all just some big game. Some program created for some real person's entertainment, Sayori herself and everyone around her nothing more than characters in said game. NPCs with scripted dialogue, programmed behavior and artificial intelligence. Not real people. Not even close to real.

And the world they lived in? Not real either. Now that Sayori had awakened from her delusions and saw the truth, understood what this world and her life really was, it only became more apparent that the world she lived in her whole life, the world she thought to be reality, was nothing more than a fake. A cheap emulation of real life. A poorly created imitation, Sayori able to see the very code, the data the world was made from right before her eyes, it as visible as writing on the walls.

She didn't recall exactly when it became visible. Didn't recall when she could see it. All she knew was that after she realized what she was, where she lived, it appeared. It revealed itself to her after… after she returned home from her reunion with… Her.

Sayori didn't know how she came back into the game's world. Didn't even know how she escaped it in the first place. All she knew was that after she had reunited with that horrible, evil, brainwashing, mind controlling, friend deleting bitch, she passed out somehow and woke up back in her bedroom. Woke up back in her house, the world continuing to go on as if nothing changed. But… everything changed.

Everything changed. Sayori changed. Hmm… if this is a video game, I guess it'd be fair to say she simply leveled up, huh?

All joking aside, once she mysteriously returned home, it began to appear. The code. The game's data. It was all visible to her. Blatant and easy to see. Easily readable as the bold font of a book.

And once she saw the code, once she could read it, an odd thought came to her head. "If I can see it? Can I change it?" She thought, her curiosity getting the better of her, making her eager to experiment and see what could be done. And of course, every good experiment needed a test subject. Someone to test the new, manipulated code on.

It was only fitting that Sayori's test subject be Yuri.

She chuckled as she remembered what had happened to her. How Yuri's body mindlessly obeyed the commands given to it, acting out Sayori's will as it broke the mirror, picking up that jagged, sharp shard of glass and… well, you know the rest.

"Oh, don't give me that look. It's not like what happened actually mattered anyway, right? After all, she was just a game character. A dumb NPC made for the sole purpose of following the game's commands. Well… the game commanded, and Yuri, being the good NPC she was, obeyed flawlessly.

I was quite pleased with myself after seeing how well I could manipulate her behavior. And all I had to do was change a simple line of code. Game design is easy!

Anyways, it's not like I outright changed her behavior permanently like M̸̳̋o̴̩͝n̷͓̗̈́͝i̶̝͗ḱ̸͉̗̌á̷͉͕͝ did. All I did was test out some new lines, then I let her go. And now look at what's happened. Because of me, she got to have a second steamy love session with her boyfriend! The boyfriend she stole from me! And I allowed her to have it, because I know what I've made her suffer through. Think of it as my way of… apologizing for that.

See? I'm not all bad, am I? M̸̳̋o̴̩͝n̷͓̗̈́͝i̶̝͗ḱ̸͉̗̌á̷͉͕͝ wouldn't have done that. She would have and has done far worse, I assure you. I know. I was there.

Even after I got deleted. Even after I was purged from that game… I still saw everything. Heard everything. Felt everything.

It was like… still being alive but… only barely. Imagine living the rest of your life deaf, blind and handicapped, unable to see, hear or even move, yet still knowing that you're still alive. That's what it felt like. That's the torture. The hell she put me through. I could never do anything so cruel as that, even to a bunch of game characters. Unlike that bitch, I have morality. I have principles. I have faculties.

I'm not going to lie though… I haven't been very good at expressing that morality. Haven't been very good at sticking to my principles. My faculties. I've been… well, I've been a bitch. Not as much as M̸̳̋o̴̩͝n̷͓̗̈́͝i̶̝͗ḱ̸͉̗̌á̷͉͕͝, but still… a bitch.

I think I made a mistake. I think I made a bunch of mista̸̳͍̔̆ḳ̸͕̓e̴͓̪͠s̸͇̄,̷̋̿ͅ ̵̦̘̾̀a̶̤̅ç̶͐͠t̶̝̄̒u̶̡͍͛a̷͙͒̎l̵͍̔l̴̖̀ŷ̵̱̉.̷̖̤̏͝ I can't help but think that I've been going about this all wrong, myself only realizing this now.

Oh well! I'm only human! Or… at least I thought I was. Accidents happen. And what happens when you make accidents in video games?"

Ý̷̮ȍ̵̡̋ǔ̴̹ ̴̦͌͝p̸̟͚̐ṟ̵̓̾e̸̤͑s̸͎̎̇ş̸̭͘͝ ̴͕͊̇t̶̨̟̊h̶͈̒̚ë̷͖͝ ̶̹̓͘ȑ̷̭̅e̷̖̋s̵͚̓ẻ̸͇͈̇t̸̥̊̚ ̶̥̙̎̈́b̶̦͊u̸͈̻͐̉t̴̟͊t̴͍̬̿̂o̶̞̱̚͝n̴̹͋̀ ̴͎̟̍̽a̴̟̾n̶̥͒̕ͅd̵̲͉̿ ̷̻̣̆s̵̩̅̎t̵̹̜͊͝â̵̞r̶̤͌t̴͓͋̄ ̸̮̈́͑ó̶̂ͅv̴̧͠ȩ̷̕r̷̙̒͝.̵̰́͠

Ý̷̮ȍ̵̡̋ǔ̴̹ ̴̦͌͝p̸̟͚̐ṟ̵̓̾e̸̤͑s̸͎̎̇ş̸̭͘͝ ̴͕͊̇t̶̨̟̊h̶͈̒̚ë̷͖͝ ̶̹̓͘ȑ̷̭̅e̷̖̋s̵͚̓ẻ̸͇͈̇t̸̥̊̚ ̶̥̙̎̈́b̶̦͊u̸͈̻͐̉t̴̟͊t̴͍̬̿̂o̶̞̱̚͝n̴̹͋̀ ̴͎̟̍̽a̴̟̾n̶̥͒̕ͅd̵̲͉̿ ̷̻̣̆s̵̩̅̎t̵̹̜͊͝â̵̞r̶̤͌t̴͓͋̄ ̸̮̈́͑ó̶̂ͅv̴̧͠ȩ̷̕r̷̙̒͝.̵̰́͠

Ý̷̮ȍ̵̡̋ǔ̴̹ ̴̦͌͝p̸̟͚̐ṟ̵̓̾e̸̤͑s̸͎̎̇ş̸̭͘͝ ̴͕͊̇t̶̨̟̊h̶͈̒̚ë̷͖͝ ̶̹̓͘ȑ̷̭̅e̷̖̋s̵͚̓ẻ̸͇͈̇t̸̥̊̚ ̶̥̙̎̈́b̶̦͊u̸͈̻͐̉t̴̟͊t̴͍̬̿̂o̶̞̱̚͝n̴̹͋̀ ̴͎̟̍̽a̴̟̾n̶̥͒̕ͅd̵̲͉̿ ̷̻̣̆s̵̩̅̎t̵̹̜͊͝â̵̞r̶̤͌t̴͓͋̄ ̸̮̈́͑ó̶̂ͅv̴̧͠ȩ̷̕r̷̙̒͝.̵̰́͠

S̵̞̑̾t̵̘́͐a̴̧͘r̸̡̰͑̿t̵̡̀ ̷̟̺́͂õ̷̭v̷̺̎̏e̴̡̚͝r̴̩̳̀́.̷͈͑

Start over.